Differences
by PK102
Summary: Izuku was two years older than Katsuki, yet despite that he had taken it upon himself to protect the older, quirkless boy. After all, how else was he to impress his future husband? But then he gets to UA and finds Izuku is there as well – as the top student and All Might's own protégé.
1. Chapter 1

This was inspired by a story I read earlier where there was an age difference between Izuku and Bakugou, though I think it was four years instead of two. But I wanted to write a scene where they interacted at school because I thought that would be interesting to see, so I did.

This chapter is just kind of the backstory to introduce them before we get to the good stuff.

* * *

"Wow, Kacchan!" Izuku exclaims, his eyes wide as he watches the miniature explosions in his friend's palm. "That's such an amazing quirk! I'm sure you'll make a great hero!"

Katsuki grins triumphantly. "Of course I will. I'll be the best," he boasts. Then he looks at the older boy across from him. "And I'll protect you, since you're quirkless and all."

Izuku frowns petulantly. "I'm not totally useless, Kacchan. I don't need you to protect me."

"Sure you are, Deku. But that's fine, because you have me. I'll protect you for the rest of our lives and you won't ever need anyone else," the blond proclaims.

"Careful, twerp," Katsuki's mom remarks from her spot on the couch, watching the two boys in amusement. "That sounds almost like a marriage proposal."

The face of the youngest Bakugou scrunches in thought as he ponders his mother's words. Then he nods, apparently reaching a decision. "Okay." He turns to his friend. "We're gonna get married then."

To his credit, Izuku only looks slightly confused. "But aren't we too young for that?" he asks, looking over at his own mother for confirmation.

She nods, amusement clear on her face. "That's right, sweetie," she agrees. "No marriage until both of you are adults, at the very least." Next to her Mitsuki lets out an amused snort.

"Oh," Katsuki says, looking mildly disappointed. Then he shoots Izuku a fierce glare. "Then you'd better wait for me, nerd. Got it?"

Izuku easily agrees. "Okay, Kacchan."

. . .

After all these years they still lived in the same neighborhood. It was only natural their paths would meet sometimes on their way back from school. Katsuki was glad this afternoon was one such occasion.

"Hey assholes!" he shouts, charging the two middle schoolers standing over his childhood friend and future husband. "Leave him alone!" At his fingertips small explosions crackle, just barely contained for the moment. He might've been a couple years younger than them, but he made a promise to Izuku and he fully intends to keep it. No one was going to harm his unofficial fiancé if he had anything to say about it, and he certainly did.

Unfortunately – or fortunately, for them – the jerkwads don't stick around much longer, no doubt scared by his display. Katsuki stops by his friend, huffing in disappointment as he watches the two run off. Then he turns to Izuku, who is gingerly picking himself up off the ground. He frowns but says nothing as he gathers his scattered things. Only after he had everything gathered did the older boy finally face his friend. "Thanks, Kacchan," he mutters quietly.

Katsuki says nothing for several moments. "What was that all about?" he finally asks.

Izuku shrugs and looks off to the side, avoiding the other's gaze. "They're just bullies; do they really need reasons?"

His eyes narrow in response. He may be two years younger, but Katsuki wasn't stupid and this wasn't the first time it had happened. "You were talking back to them, weren't you?" he accuses, catching the way Izuku scowls. "Stop doing that! It'll only draw attention to yourself when you can't do anything about it."

"That's not true!" Izuku is quick to snap back.

"You're quirkless; what were you expecting?!" Katsuki shouts in return.

"I don't need to have a quirk to do the right thing. I'm not just going to sit back and watch them pick on others," Izuku says.

Katsuki scoffs. "You should. That's not your problem."

"Then what kind of hero would I be if I did that?" Izuku retorts.

"You can't be a hero without a quirk!"

"Yeah? Then maybe I'll be the first."

Katsuki can't contain the snort at the other's words. "Like that'll happen."

"Watch me." Izuku's eyes narrow in challenge as he speaks.

Katsuki growls. "Fine."

"Fine," Izuku agrees, and with that he turns and continues his walk home, not once looking back at his friend.

Katsuki is stunned still for a moment, watching the older boy leave. He waits there for several more minutes scowling angrily in the direction the other disappeared. That was the same way he walked home, but he didn't want to think the other was following him.

They see each other a couple of times over the next few days – unavoidable, with their proximity – but neither says a thing and they pass by in stubborn silence. Izuku's mother dares to comment on it one day when she's with Izuku and notices, but drops the topic after Izuku remarks something about, "stupid, pigheaded Kacchan."

It lasts for a whole week – the longest Katsuki has gone without speaking to his future husband in years – before he finally breaks and makes his way to the Midoriya household, banging on their door as if he were forced to be there instead of having walked over of his own volition. Midoriya Inko answers the door, quirking an eyebrow at Katsuki's presence but she lets him in easily, informing him that Izuku's in his room. He gruffly thanks her and makes his way to Izuku.

He doesn't bother knocking on the door, opening it wide with no reservations. Izuku looks stunned initially to see his friend there, but he soon gathers himself and replaces it with a stubborn look of defiance. "Kacchan, what are you going here?" he asks, his voice holding none of the familiar warmth Katsuki has grown used to over the years.

Katsuki scowls and makes his way over to the other boy under his watchful – and suspicious – gaze. It takes him several moments to work out what he came there to say. "I don't want you to get hurt," he begins, to the other's confusion. Izuku opens his mouth to interject but Katsuki steamrolls right over him. "I don't not want you to be a hero, because being a hero is awesome. And I'm gonna be a hero and protect you, but I can't when you go out and pick fights you can't win. So stop it." Then he looks at Izuku expectantly.

The older boy sits there silently, his mouth still hanging open as he regards his friend. Then he closes it and shoots Katsuki a confused look. "I'm not going to stop trying to help people." Katsuki nods once in agreement, because saving people is a good thing. "…But I'll try not to get into fights?" Izuku finishes, more of a question than a statement. Katsuki nods again.

Izuku returns the gesture as he realizes what Katsuki is trying to say, a pleased smile turning up his lips without much thought. "If that's what you were worried about you should've just said so, dummy."

"Shut up, Deku!" the younger boy immediately snaps. "I'm not worried! You're just stupid for going and getting yourself beat up for no reason, then making me save you!"

Izuku can't keep the grin off his face. "But you promised."

"Yeah, but you don't have to make my job harder!" Katsuki gripes. "Jeez, ungrateful loser," he scowls, crossing his arms petulantly across his chest. Still, Izuku notes the light dusting of red on his cheeks.

"Okay then," he agrees, "I'll try not to get into anymore fights."

"Good." Katsuki nods.

. . .

The Midoriya family is invited over for dinner one evening. A common enough event for the two households, since they're all good friends that enjoy any and all excuse to get together and have fun. Katsuki's first year of middle school, and Izuku's last, is a good enough reason.

"So, Izuku," Katsuki's mom begins once they've had a chance to begin their dinner, "what high schools are you planning on applying to? You always wanted to go to UA, right?"

"Ah," Izuku remarks, fidgeting in his seat as his gaze quickly cuts to Katsuki right next to him – noting the boy's narrowed gaze – before looking back at his plate. "Yeah, but I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, I could always go into the General Studies track, but I feel a normal high school would be better suited for that, you know? That way I wouldn't be too close to all that hero stuff, and the sports festival is always a big deal that I'm not sure I really want to be involved in. I mean, that stuff looks like way too much for someone like me, haha…" he trails off, realizing he was babbling nervously.

Mitsuki didn't look at all bothered. "So a closer private school, probably. Do you know what you want to study?"

"I-I'm not too sure just yet," he replies, poking at some of the vegetables on his plate. "I was thinking maybe psychology, or perhaps criminal justice. But I'm not sure yet."

"Oh, so did you want to join the police force?" Katsuki's father asks, interested.

Izuku shrugs. "Probably."

"Well," Masaru begins, tucking back into dinner, "you've got some time before you need to decide for sure. No need to rush."

"I know I'm going to be a hero," Katsuki interjects, grinning first at his parents before turning to Izuku. "I'll be the best fucking hero ever, even better than All Might!"

Izuku smiles at his friend, only slightly playful as he remarks, "Maybe, though All Might is the greatest superhero ever."

Katsuki scowls at the older boy. "Hey now. As your future husband you should be saying that _I'm_ the greatest superhero ever." Izuku flushes at that, as he always does when Katsuki talks about their future together, and it makes him grin even more.

"Ka-Kacchan…" Izuku mutters.

"I'm not hearing any disagreements, Deku," he responds.

"Kacchan!"

. . .

When Izuku had told Katsuki that he would do better to avoid getting into fights he'd meant it, really, he had. But Kaori-chan had been the closest to a friend he'd had in middle school – besides Kacchan – and he couldn't just let the sludge monster take her. Before he knew it he was charging in, throwing his backpack in the best attempt at a diversion he could come up with. But it serves its function and soon enough All Might is stepping in and the whole ordeal is over within seconds.

Later that evening, after All Might tells him that he can give him a quirk, Izuku feels like it's been one of the best days of his life – and he only feels marginally guilty thinking that because it was likely the opposite for Kaori-chan. Then he gets home and Katsuki is waiting for him. He looks angry and Izuku suddenly remembers what he promised with a wince. Katsuki says nothing as he leads the younger boy to his room, his mother wise enough to leave them well alone when Bakugou gets in his moods like this. Izuku takes a seat on his bed and waits patiently for the lecture he knows is to come while Katsuki paces. Still, he can't find it in himself to regret his actions.

Finally Katsuki explodes. "What the ever-living fuck were you thinking!?" he shouts, righteously angry. Izuku winces even so. "I mean – just – what the fucking hell!? You had no fucking reason -"

"My friend -" Izuku tries to interject, but Katsuki is having none of it.

"Yeah, I get that, you wanted to save her. Whoop de fucking do. But this isn't some shithead bully!" he shouts, rounding on Izuku. "That was a real villain, Deku! An actual villain that was doing some major damage that could've hurt you! Or worse, killed you! Did that not occur once in that thick fucking skull of yours!?" Kacchan turns his head away, and when he speaks again his voice is tight, as if he's struggling to keep it even. "Do you not realize what would happen to your mom if you died? To me?!"

When Katsuki finally looks at him again Izuku is horrified to find tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. He'd never known Kacchan to cry, no matter how injured he got or how upset he was. His surprise had him frozen in place, completely stunned.

"You idiot!" Katsuki shouts, oblivious to Izuku's internal shutdown. "You goddamn moronic shitty bastard Deku! I'll never forgive you if you died!" And then Izuku is being smushed against a firm chest as Katsuki wraps the other in a tight hug, his arms locked around Izuku's shoulders. He's shocked still yet again as he realizes Kacchan is hugging him, probably for the first time in many years. It takes a moment to respond before he's wrapping his arms around the younger's waist.

He can just barely hear the quiet sniffling of the other as he struggles to reign in his emotions, and if Izuku feels any dampness on his shoulder he doesn't bring it up. Instead he rubs a soothing hand up and down the span of Katsuki's back he can reach in an attempt to comfort. He really hadn't meant to worry his friend so much and it almost physically pains him to see the other so affected. "I'm sorry," he says, because he is. "I'm sorry I made you worry so much."

"You're damn right you're sorry," Katsuki growls into the older boy's shoulder, still not quite ready enough to let go. His emotions had been wrangled, but the fear of almost losing Izuku had deeply rattled him and he still needs the physical reassurance that the other is okay. Not that he was going to mention this to the other – though he had a feeling he was already aware. "But if anything like this ever happens again I swear I'm fucking chaining you to my goddamn side so you can't get into anymore trouble."

Izuku huffs out a laugh, though he has a feeling the other isn't entirely joking. "Alright."

"Just fucking watch me."

"Okay."

"I swear I will."

"I believe you."

"Shitty Deku," Katsuki scowls, finally pulling back to look at the other. The corner of Izuku's lips are quirking up in an amused grin that only serves to get on his nerves even more. On impulse – and partly out of spite – he leans forward and presses his lips against the others in a chaste kiss before pulling back, enjoying the way Deku's face explodes in red.

"K-Ka-Kaachan!" Izuku squeaks, his hands coming up to cover his face. His eyes are wide as he looks at Katsuki, and that's when it really hits him.

He just kissed Izuku.

I mean yeah, he's been proclaiming to their families and others that the two of them are going to be married in the future, but so far those have just been words. And sure, he and Izuku might've been pretty close, but they were best friends; that is to be expected. This, however, had crossed the line of just friendship into something neither of them were really ready to consider at the moment.

His face burns a red bright enough to match Izuku's as he quickly turns away. "I'm still mad at you," he spits out, trying to regain control of the situation that had veered off the course he had originally intended. "Stupid," he adds, just for emphasis. Then he quickly beats a hasty retreat from his friend's bedroom before he gets an idea to do something even worse – like kiss him again. He says a brief goodbye to Deku's mom before leaving and heading back to his own house.

As he walks, though, he can't get their brief kiss out of his mind.

. . .

Katsuki tries to pretend that nothing happened between them the next time he sees Izuku, though it quickly becomes clear that the other will not. The older boy is awkward around him now, barely looking at him and keeping a further distance than he used to. Katsuki hates it. But most of all, he hates himself for ruining what they had between them.

Izuku doesn't outright avoid him, but he's changed up his schedule enough that he doesn't run into Katsuki as often as he used to and it's slowly starting to get on Katsuki's nerves.

Something is clearly going on with the other boy, that much Katsuki can tell. It may not be blaringly obvious, but he knows Izuku better than even his mom so there's no hiding anything from him. He wants to ask, to talk to the other boy, but Izuku always seems to run out of things to say when they do meet – a first, in all the time they've known each other – and never hangs around long enough for Katsuki to really dig.

He's slowly going crazy, but he knows this is all his fault. He made his bed, and now he has to lie in it.

And then at the beginning of the new school year – Izuku's first in high school – it's like a switch is flipped and the older boy is back to normal, so suddenly Katsuki nearly gives himself a mental whiplash. He's seeing Izuku on a regular basis as the other walks home from school – a school he's been suspiciously quiet about, avoiding the topic when Katsuki tried to bring it up once – and when the other comes over to help him with homework, just like he did before. It's almost as if the months of awkwardness never happened.

Of course, some things are a little different and Katsuki notices each and every one, though he can't explain any of them and any time he tries to ask Izuku he's brushed off, given a vague answer, or outright lied to. It hurts, he realizes, to know Izuku is keeping something from him. But he's also afraid that if he pushes things too far they'll go back to those ten months of barely any contact and he would do anything to avoid that torture again.

So – for once – he keeps his mouth shut and hopes to hell that Izuku will tell him the truth someday.

. . .

Finally he's graduating from middle school, and after receiving his high school acceptance letter his mom predictably threw him a party. Of course the Midoriyas were invited.

"I'm so proud of my shithead of a son," his mother gushes as they sit down at dinner. She holds a glass raised to toast and Katsuki is already cringing in embarrassment. "He finally got into UA after working so damn hard. Though honestly it would've been a fucking disgrace if he hadn't, especially since he's been boasting about being the number one hero since he was a damn child." Katsuki shoots his mother a withering glare but it does nothing to diminish the proud smirk on her face.

"Congratulations, Katsuki," Inko adds, smiling proudly as if he were her own son – or son-in-law.  
"UA is a brilliant school, after all." And here, Katsuki notes with confusion, she darts a brief glance over to Izuku at Katsuki's side though it returns a moment later. "I'm sure you'll excel among your peers."

"You're damn right I will," he agrees, putting the observation aside in favor of grinning at her before turning to look at the older boy beside him. "So, Deku, jealous?" he asks. He can't help but tease the older boy; it's a habit he'll never grow out of.

Izuku merely smiles, and though it seems genuine enough Katsuki can detect another emotion behind it he cannot identify. "No," he replies. "But I am proud. I know you'll be the best, Kacchan. You said you would."

Katsuki desperately tries to keep the blood from rushing to his face at Izuku's words, though judging by the quiet snort from his mother he doesn't entirely succeed. He coughs to gather himself before speaking again. "Of course I did. Just watch. I'll beat all those losers and become the number one hero."

Izuku's lips quirk in another cryptic smile and Katsuki has no idea what it could mean.


	2. Chapter 2

Here comes the good stuff.

I'm playing a little with the time since I don't want to get too far into the school year and mess with stuff that happens so for now just pretend there's a bit more time between the attack on the USJ and the beginning of the sports festival. That's when this is happening.

Also, I'm going to apologize in advance if Toogata and Hadou are OOC. All I know about their personalities are what I read on the Wikia since I haven't actually gotten this far in the manga.

Also also, Izuku is just a couple inches taller than Bakugou right now. Since he's two years older. Yeah.

* * *

Even several days after the attack on the USJ the teachers were trying to act like everything was normal, though the students could tell they had started to ramp up their coursework in advanced preparation for facing a potentially big enemy. Still, though the training was tough it was also exciting, and so when All Might said he would be pitting them against some of the top students at UA hardly any students complained.

Their exercise for the day took them far off the UA main campus into the outskirts of the city where a large warehouse sat in a wide-open field. The closest building was another one-story brick building the bus had dropped them off by. Once they had all disembarked All Might began reading the lesson from his slip of paper. "The objective of today's drill is to get you used to facing villains stronger than you and developing techniques and methods to overcome the difference in skill while working together. You will be placed in teams of five, to give you a little bit of an advantage since your opponents will be the top three students of UA's graduating class.

"Your objective is to infiltrate their 'hideout,' retrieve the fake weapon of mass destruction that will be in a clearly marked briefcase, and then have everyone make it back out of the building to the rendezvous point. You will have thirty minutes to do so."

As All Might spoke mutterings rose from the students in the class, some excited, others more concerned, some outright nervous. Bakugou was grinning; he couldn't wait to test his skills against some top-notch students.

"Ah, here they come now," All Might said, watching as two students approached the gathered class. "Now hold on, where is my young protégé?" he asked, glancing back at the warehouse for the last student.

"He stayed back to finish up some last-minute preparations," Toogata replied, grinning easily. "But we're all set to go."

"Hmm, that is fine. After all," All Might grinned at the first-year students, "you don't usually see the head honcho until the very final confrontation. Anyways, why don't you two introduce yourselves."

"Right," the boy said, stepping forward. "I am Toogata Mirio, the hero known as Lemillion. My quirk allows me to phase in and out of things, so do your best to figure out how to challenge me." If possible, his grin grew even wider at the challenge.

"And I'm Hadou Nejire," the girl introduced herself, smiling widely. "It's a pleasure to meet you all! I can transform my energy into shockwaves, so give me your best shot in the training exercise; we won't be going easy on you!"

"Right! Now that that's been taken care of," All Might stepped in. "I'll give you your teams now." The two older students started making their way back to the warehouse, no doubt to get themselves into position for the upcoming matches. "Team 1 is Ashido, Uraraka, Koda, Mineta, and Sero. Team 2 is Aoyama, Kaminari, Jirou, Shouji, and Hagakure. Team 3 is Iida, Asui, Kirishima, Tokoyami, and Yaoyorozu. Team 4 is Ojiro, Sato, Bakugou, Todoroki, and Kazumi. I'll give you all the next ten minutes to come up with a game plan before Team 1 begins." He nodded and they dispersed, grouping together to discuss strategy.

Ten minutes later they stood in the smaller building where several monitors had been set up, showing camera feeds from inside and outside the warehouse for them to watch.

Team 1 struggled the most trying to get past Hadou's outer defenses, her shockwaves keeping the group at a distance until Koda convinced the animals to distract her long enough for them to get by. By that time, though, they had already wasted a good portion of their half-hour. Minutes later Mirio had them all captured or incapacitated. They all were down before twenty minutes had even passed. While All Might when to gather the five students the rest of the class debated new strategies in light of what they saw.

Team 2 fared much better than the first group, Jirou already prepared with her own soundwaves to counter Hadou's. Once inside they split into groups, most likely to make things harder on Mirio, but he still had no trouble taking them out. All but Hagakure, that is. As soon as they'd stepped inside she stripped completely, making her way to the second floor. The class held a baited breath as they waited to see the best of the Big Three confront her.

The fight was over in seconds. They never even saw him move, not really. There was just a blur of green before Hagakure was restrained and on the ground, unable to move. When he paused to make sure she was okay was the longest glimpse they got of him before he was moving away from the cameras again, and even then they didn't see much. His hero costume was a full-body suit that covered every inch of his skin, and with his large hood up they couldn't even get a glimpse of his face.

"He's quick, at the very least," Todoroki remarked, standing near Bakugou. He scoffed.

"So, what? I'll beat him either way."

Team 3 managed to fare even better, both Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu making it to the second floor, though they barely lasted any longer. Before they could really gather themselves a bright flash exploded throughout the room, completely obliterating Dark Shadow. By the time the flash grenade wore off Tokoyami had been restrained. Yaoyorozu went down a moment later without even being able to finish creating whatever she'd intended.

"Holy cow," Mineta gasped. "He's not even fighting us and he's taking us down quicker than that other guy! What the hell?!"

"He must have some way to watch what's going on below him," Jirou added. "How else would he know how to counter their quirks?"

"He's smart," Todoroki summarized.

Soon enough Bakugou was lining up with the rest of the teammates as they waited for the Big Three to reset for their turn. "You remember the plan, right Bakugou?" Kazumi asked.

"Yeah yeah, we'll do it your way for now," he growled, antsy with anticipation.

The buzzer rang and they took off as a group, counting on Kazumi to keep them cloaked while creating false illusions to distract Hadou as they sneaked up to the building. It went far better than they had imagined it would. "Okay, we'll split up here," Todoroki said. "Don't bother waiting if you make it before us." Then he, Bakugou, and Kazumi left Ojiro and Sato to go their own way.

They still used Kazumi's illusions to hide their presence, but the entire time they were on high alert for Toogata. There wasn't any word from the other two over their communications, so they had no idea how they were doing either. The maze wasn't too hard to navigate, and Kazumi had high hopes they would all make it to the second floor until they came crashing down when she saw a hand out of the corner of her eye. She gave a shout and the boys sprung into action, Bakugou releasing an explosion large enough to cover the hallway in smoke. It had been their plan for he and Todoroki to leave Kazumi behind when Toogata found them, since she could use her illusions to trick him for a bit and make him think they were still fighting while they made a break for the second floor.

They ran off before the smoke could fully dissipate, sprinting forward to the stairs. Neither caught a glimpse of Toogata, so he must've still been preoccupied with Kazumi. When they finally reached the staircase, Todoroki snagged the back of Bakugou's costume before he could head up. "What?" Bakugou snapped in annoyance.

"We need to have a plan before we go up there or we'll be caught immediately."

Bakugou scoffed. "We have no fucking time for that. Who knows how long that guy'll be distracted; we've gotta keep moving." He took a few steps before Todoroki snagged him again and he turned back with a snarl. "What now?!"

Todoroki quickly moved ahead of him. "Let me go first. I'm going to create a huge wave of ice when we get up there, then I'll cut right while you go left. Keep him at a distance with your explosions."

"Fuckin' fine. Now go."

As soon as they broke through the door Todoroki did just as he said, a gigantic ice wall separating them from the rest of the room. They split up and then waited to see how the other would move. They couldn't hold the position forever, given their time limit, and they hoped the others made the first move otherwise they would have to come up with a new plan.

"This was a shitty idea," Bakugou half-whispered half-yelled to Todoroki across the way when no one had moved for a solid minute. "What the fuck are we supposed to do now?" By his count they only had fifteen minutes or so left.

"Let me think," Todoroki said.

Then a high, girly voice was calling out to them, "Found youuuu!" The ice next to Todoroki exploded from the shockwaves going through them, at the same time the ice next to Bakugou shattered underneath a fist.

Bakugou reacted instinctively, letting off a series of rapid explosions as he darted to the side. With Todoroki's ice splitting the room they didn't have much left to maneuver and Bakugou let out a curse under his breath. Then he was forced to dodge a kick at his head.

"Gave away your position there," another voice chuckled, and Bakugou identified it as the last of the Big Three.

"Fuck you!" he shouted, setting off more explosions to push the guy away. He didn't linger long to see how he fared and darted through the hole the other had created in the ice wall. At least he had some fucking space now.

He didn't get to enjoy the view long when a knee smashed into the center of his back, forcing him down on the ground as all the air was pushed from his lungs. He twisted mid-fall to get one of his hands around and let off another explosion, this one a bit bigger than previous. It had the other student backing off, at the very least. As Bakugou picked himself up he kept an eye out on his surroundings. He couldn't see the guy anymore, but he knew they were lurking around somewhere.

"Hey! Why don't you come out and fight me, you fucking coward!" he shouted. He didn't care for an opponent that sneaked around in a fight. A real hero didn't need to think so much; this shit should've been instinctual. Three years of schooling and what did the other have to show for it if he was always backing away to think?

A flash of green lightning on his right had him spinning, only to take a hit from the left. He let off an explosion, but it was too slow to do anything and the guy was gone again. "I don't know…" the guy called out. "Are you sure you could handle it? You haven't even landed a hit on me yet."

Bakugou growled, his face contorted into an angry scowl. There was just something about the guy and the way he spoke that irked him. Yet it also reminded him of someone… "I'll kill you!" Bakugou shouted. "Fight me fucking face on and we'll see how I can fucking handle it!"

In another flash of green the guy stood before him. He did his best not to show his surprise at the sudden movement, sneering out of habit. The guy didn't look anything special, and his costume was rather simple for a future pro hero. Annoyingly enough he still had his hood drawn, so the only bit of his face Bakugou could see was his mouth and almost a nose.

"Come at me, asshole!" Bakugou shouted, using an explosion to propel him forward as his other arm raised for a right hook. He was utterly surprised when the other grabbed it and swung him around, slamming him onto his back. For the second time that day all of the air was forced from his lungs and he heaved.

He could've sworn he heard the other mutter, "Same old Kacchan," but that couldn't have been right. Just his adrenaline-addled brain making things up in the middle of battle.

He swung his legs at the other student, though they didn't connect, and quickly picked himself up again. No matter how many years older this guy was, he was no match for Katsuki and his hand-to-hand. He mixed punches and kicks and explosions at the other, sometimes using them to propel himself or as attacks. He let off a few fairly close to the other's face, though frustratingly enough they didn't do much to bother him. He was still relentless in his attacks, and despite the fact not many landed the ones that did packed quite a power behind them that surprised Bakugou. He hadn't expected the runt of a guy to be so strong. Todoroki's prediction of a speed-enhancing quirk might have missed the mark.

Bakugou caught his first break when he managed an explosion in the guy's face a lot closer than the last few. It singed off a good portion of his face mask and got the guy to back off a couple of paces so Bakugou could quickly re-gather himself. Already his chest was starting to heave from exertion.

A shock of green hair startled him out of his thoughts and he momentarily dropped his guard as his mind immediately thought of another more familiar green-haired boy. His eyes narrowed and he quickly attacked, not wanting to give the other a second longer to think. This wasn't a battle he would easily win and he would take any advantage he could.

"Ten minutes!" All Might's voice boomed from the sound system and Bakugou let out a curse of frustration. And then the other had the audacity to smirk!

His next few attacks came quicker, incensed by the other's attitude, though now he was more focused on the other guy's remaining hood instead of just trying to knock him out. There was something about it; he just had to make sure, though it was probably going to cost him some time.

It was just his luck they ended up on the ground, grappling. One of his hands was stuck in the other's grip, his legs braced underneath the older student keeping him down. He twisted and shifted as much as he could, using his one free hand to cause an explosion to give him the momentum he needed to flip, timing it with a forehead smash to distract the other. Though his face now smarted, he had the upper hand but instead of pushing to end the fight, he flipped off the other's hood. And then froze.

Familiar green eyes surrounded by familiar green hair with familiar freckles and a familiar smile looked back at him. If he hadn't already seen the other's quirk was something physically enhancing he would've thought they were playing a trick on him. "Deku?" he rasped, completely confused.

And there was that smile he had so come to love. "Hey, Kacchan. Fancy meeting you here."

"'Fancy meeting…'" he repeated incredulously, stunned. And then he exploded. "What the FUCK!? What the ACTUAL FUCK?!" The hand previously held in the other's – Deku's – hand now grabbed a handful of his jumpsuit and was dragging him upwards so Bakugou could get in his face. "What the hell does that even mean!? 'Fancy meeting you here.' If either of us should be here it's me! What the fuck are you doing?!"

Despite the yelling he continued to smile, as if Bakugou's world wasn't beginning to implode on itself. "What do you mean, Kacchan? Were you not paying attention when All Might explained the drill?" He sounded so innocent. It made Bakugou want to crush him into the ground. He settled for slamming him back down, several times. Bastard didn't even look like he felt it, thought he felt a twisted sort of pride when the smile began to falter.

"Fuck the drill!" he snarled, leaning closer over Deku. "How are you even here?! It's not possible."

Deku's expression was unreadable beneath him, the smile vanishing with the presence of a sudden distance between them. Bakugou sat back just a little, apprehensive. "Are you sure? You just saw me, Kacchan."

"I don't even know what the hell I saw anymore," Bakugou retorted hotly. "What tricks are you playing? Huh?!"

"That wasn't any trick; that was me."

"STOP FUCKING LYING!" Katsuki slammed Deku back into the floor. "There's no way. No goddamned way. I don't believe you." He was horrified to feel angry tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. His head bowed so his bangs would hide the evidence; he didn't need his damn classmates seeing this.

"I'm not lying," Deku said, calm as ever. And Bakugou could tell he wasn't. It struck something painful inside his chest.

He barked out a choked laugh, sitting back on his legs. "No, you're not," he agreed, surprisingly calm. He felt Deku tense underneath him and a mocking grin curled at his lips. "Not anymore, at least. All our life you've been lying, but now you're finally telling the fucking truth."

"No!" Deku snapped, a desperate look on his face as he sat up as best he could. An arm reached out for Katsuki but it never reached him, a small explosion swatting it away.

Bakugou found he couldn't even look at Izuku anymore. He was barely retaining his composure; if he had to look at whatever pitiful expression he knew the other had on his face that composure would be gone in an instant. Instead he looked to the side, watching without really seeing Todoroki still fighting with Hadou. Then he remembered, they were still in the exercise. He stood, Izuku scrambling up right after him.

"Kacchan," he tried again.

Bakugou turned the same blank stare in Izuku's direction, looking past the older boy rather than at him. It sort of helped. He raised his right arm, gauntlet pointed at the other. "If you're so fucking powerful now, take this."

"Wait, Kacchan -"

Whatever the other was going to say was quickly drowned out by the massive explosion generated by the release of his weapon. Vaguely he could hear All Might screaming in his ear piece, but whatever the hero was saying fell on deaf ears. He used the momentary chaos to grab the briefcase they were supposed to retrieve and then blasted another hole in the side of the building and jumped out.

He got a lecture from All Might when he returned to the bunker where the rest of the class waited, something about infrastructure damage and looking out for his teammates. He didn't feel too bad about it when the rest of his team showed up a couple of minutes later, looking a little beat up but not much worse for wear. They technically still failed, despite the fact Bakugou had retrieved the briefcase, since some of their members had to be released but he found he didn't really care. Not after what happened. It was all numb.

As if everyone could tell he was in a shitty mood, once they were free and preparing to head back the rest of the class left him well alone. Instead they gathered around the Big Three that had just joined them, asking questions and clamoring for their attention. Bakugou sneered and hung back, ignoring the head of green hair that stood out among the mass.

He should've known Deku wasn't one to be so easily ignored.

Bakugou ignored the approaching footsteps, assuming it was Kirishima or Kaminari, until he saw the bright red shoes. Then he made a point to keep his gaze firmly on the ground.

"Kacchan."

"Fuck off," he growled, head turned.

"I need to talk to you," Izuku was adamant.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Then you can listen." Izuku moved so he was standing back in Katsuki's line of sight. He didn't even need to look to know there was a determined expression on the other's face; by now he could recall it by memory. "I didn't want to lie to you, but I had no other choice."

"Bullshit," Katsuki scoffed, finally looking at Deku to give him an unimpressed glare.

"It's true, Kacchan! It was never my intention to hurt you and I'm sorry!" He looked so close to crying, tears gathering in his eyes as he looked imploringly at Katsuki. "I just…didn't know what to do. I mean, I barely believed it myself, I don't think you would have either."

"And we'll never know, will we, since you never fucking told me!" Bakugou snapped, standing. As he glared up at Izuku he never hated the few short inches that separated them more than he did right then. "So much for fucking trust," he scoffed.

"Kacchan no, that's not it!"

"Well I don't see what the fuck else it could be!" he retorted. "Just admit it, Izuku," he said, his tone sounding defeated in a way he'd never been before. "To you I'm nothing more than the kid of your mom's friend that's too clingy and obsessed with you." He scoffed self-deprecatingly. "Fine, I get it now. I'll fuck off and you'll never have to deal with me again."

"Wait, Kacchan! -" Izuku reached out to grab his arm, but Bakugou yanked his arm out of the grip, stepping a few paces away. When he did he realized almost everyone in class had turned to watch them, that big blond guy from Izuku's class even daring to approach.

He scowled and turned to head to the bus. "Goodbye," he snapped, hating the sense of finality that came with the word.

He wasn't too far away when he heard Toga-whatever saying to Izuku, "So does this mean you're available now?" It almost made him pause, his instincts screaming to turn around and yell at the other to back off, but he suppressed them, his fists clenched tightly at his side. He boarded without looking back.

Still in the field, Izuku gave Mirio an unamused look.

* * *

Sorry this took a bit longer than expected. Idk if the next one will be any quicker since I'm moving in two days (haven't even started packing RIP) and going back to work. But yeah, next one will have the rest of Izuku and Katsuki's conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm gonna be flipping POV between the two boys so y'all can get both of their sides in this thing, so hopefully it isn't too confusing. I'll try to make it easy to tell.

* * *

Bakugou was content to stew in his thoughts the rest of the ride back. He'd thought his expression would be a sufficient enough deterrent to discourage anyone from talking to him, but he should've known Kirishima would ignore something like that. He actually growled when the red-headed hero broke the silence between them with a drawn-out, "Sooooo…I was wondering," he began. Bakugou's eyes narrowed in a dangerous warning the other ignored. "How exactly do you know Deku?"

"Who?!" he snapped incredulously.

Kirishima gave him a confused look, tilting his head like a confused puppy. "You know, Deku. The guy you were fighting on the second floor. UA's top student and All Might's protégé. His hero name is Deku."

Bakugou's mind went blank, his anger temporarily subdued with the new information. He turned back to the window, ignoring Kirishima in favor of his thoughts. The other seemed disappointed – along with an additional few nosy fuckers listening to their conversation – but Bakugou thanked his small mercies that he didn't press again.

. . .

"What happened with him?" Mirio asked Izuku, watching the bus drive away. "Wasn't that that friend you always talk about?"

"Yeah," he replied distantly, his mind elsewhere.

"He seemed pissed," Nejire noted, her eyes curiously following the disappearing bus.

"I don't blame him. It's all my fault," Izuku admitted with a heavy sigh. He scrubbed a rough hand over his face. "I have to fix this. The only problem is getting Kacchan to talk to me. I just know he's going to be difficult about it."

"I have faith in you, Izuku," Mirio said, placing a reassuring hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "And if that kid really still feels anything for you, he'll listen." Nejire nodded, placing her own hand on his other shoulder in a show of solidarity.

Izuku sighed. "Let's hope you're right."

. . .

Izuku waited a couple of days to five Katsuki some time to cool down before he made his move. He left class quickly after the final bell, rushing down to the gate to wait for the other as he exited the school. It was the best way to catch the other, and though he supposed he could have shown up at the other's apartment, he had a feeling this would turn into another loud argument and he didn't want Bakugou's parents to hear them. So the walk home it was. He only hoped he could convince Kacchan to make a detour.

When he saw the other finally exiting the school he grew nervous. Katsuki wasn't looking ahead so he hadn't noticed Izuku until the other reached out and snagged his arm. He looked up with a scowl already on his face, and once he realized who it was grabbing him it got deeper. "Deku," he spat, and Izuku flinched at hearing more anger behind the word than he'd ever heard before. It didn't feel so much like a nickname when Kacchan said it like that.

He frowned and glanced nervously to the side. "I'm walking home with you," he said. He knew better than to ask; Kacchan would've shot him down immediately and continuing to follow would've only annoyed him further. It was best to give him no choice.

Katsuki scoffed. "I don't give a fuck what you do anymore. Just leave me the hell alone." He yanked his arm out of Izuku's weak grip and set off down the sidewalk. Izuku hurried after him, though he kept more space than usual between them. He noticed Katsuki tensing when he realized he was following, but the younger boy didn't say anything and Izuku took that as a good thing. For now, he would keep his silence.

As they walked some of the tension started to ease out of Katsuki's shoulders, though he was still hyper-aware of the older boy walking beside him. He didn't know how to feel about Izuku's sudden presence. He was still deeply hurt about the other lying to him, and he hadn't even started to come to terms with the fact Izuku wasn't going to need – or want, for that matter – him anymore. It was clear Izuku wanted to talk to him, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to stay and listen or run away like a coward.

He internally scoffed. Just goes to show how fucked he was by all this if he was seriously considering running away from Izuku – Deku – of all people. But for now, in their silence, he could stay.

When they approached the park near their neighborhood Izuku snagged at Kacchan's arm again, forcing him to a stop. Katsuki didn't look in his direction, but he didn't immediately pull away either. "Please…" Izuku began, "I want – I need to talk to you. Please, Kacchan."

He saw Katsuki grimace and knew there was a vicious internal debate going on in the other's head. He patiently waited for the other to make up his mind; he wanted Kacchan to be willing for this conversation.

It seemed like ages before Kacchan finally turned to him with a scowl. "Fine," he gritted out, stomping into the park. Izuku let him go before quickly following behind. When Katsuki sat down on a bench he made sure to keep a few more inches between them than he normally would've. "So, talk," Katsuki snapped. "I don't have all day."

"A-Ah, right…" Izuku stuttered nervously. He cleared his throat and quickly gathered his thoughts before Kacchan's patience ran out and he stormed away. "It was after the sludge monster incident," he began.

"Hah!?" Kacchan interrupted. "What the hell does that have to do with this?"

"W-well you mentioned before," Izuku looked to the side, his cheeks reddening slightly, "that I never told you, and you inferred it was because I didn't trust you. But that's not true, Kacchan. It's not true at all. So I'm telling you now – and not because of our argument or anything – but because I want you to know."

Katsuki grimaced, his lip quirking in displeasure. "Go on."

"Right, so anyways, I'm sure you remember how I jumped in to save Kaori-chan and you yelled at me," Izuku continued. Katsuki looked away when he remembered what happened that day, and what he did once he saw Izuku again. Izuku fidgeted. "All Might saw me rush in when none of the other heroes would. Then…he approached me before you came over and told me there was a way for me to get a quirk.

"That's why I was so busy for the rest of the year," Izuku quickly hurried on when Katsuki looked like he wanted to interrupt. "My body wasn't ready to take the quirk, so he had me training nonstop so I would be in the right form to inherit his quirk in time for the UA entrance exams.

"But yeah, that's really it. I never did have a quirk, and it certainly never developed super late – that's what Mom thinks. I got it from All Might, and now he's slowly starting to lose his powers." Then he turned to Kacchan with an intensely pleading look on his face, reaching out to make sure Katsuki would meet his eye. "But you can't tell a single soul I've told you this. No one is supposed to know, and there are very, very few people who do. If this got out it would be highly dangerous for the both of us. Not that I think you would tell," he tacked on quickly. "But that's why I wasn't allowed to mention anything before."

Katsuki was silent for several moments, no doubt mulling over the information in his head. Izuku was right in saying it was a little unbelievable. If he hadn't seen the other in action and actually using his quirk Katsuki never would've believed what he said. As it stood, he saw no reason not to believe Izuku, and he knew the other wasn't lying to him, outrageous as it was. "Alright," he finally muttered. "I believe you."

He had to turn away to hide the slight reddening he knew was there when Izuku beamed a smile at him. "Thank you, Kacchan!"

"Yeah, yeah," he grouched. They sat in silence for several moments before Katsuki noticed Izuku fidgeting and shot a curious look at the other boy. "What?!" he snapped, more gently than he would have before.

"That – that wasn't all I wanted to talk about," he said, flushing. Katsuki tensed ever so slightly as he waited for the other to continue. "Kacchan…I – I really like you."

"What?" Katsuki repeated, this time a little more breathless as if he wasn't sure he'd heard Izuku properly.

"I like you," the other repeated. "I always have. Ever since we were little I've admired you, and honestly, I'm surprised you're still paying attention to me after all these years. You always wanted to be the best, and I was worried you'd leave me behind once you got it."

"No!" Bakugou interjected just a bit louder than he'd intended, but he was a little off kilter after hearing Izuku's words. "Never. I'd never leave you behind. I like you too, you know."

Izuku gave him a blinding smile that Katsuki had no hope of looking away from. "Yeah, I know." Katsuki couldn't help the flush that came over his cheeks and he scowled in embarrassment, forcing himself to look away and clearing his throat.

"So…" he began, "what?"

"What do you mean, 'what?'" Izuku asked, tilting his head like an adorably confused puppy. It didn't help Katsuki's blushing issue in the slightest.

"Like…us," he hedged, even more embarrassed to be talking about this. It was one thing for him to proclaim their marriage out loud, but actually talking about feelings – just, no. Hard pass. At least, with anyone else. Izuku was special and he would do anything to keep the other boy by his side, so if that meant braving his emotions then he would damn well man up and do it. "What does this mean for us?" he finished, facing Izuku again.

Izuku blinked, a thoughtful expression on his face. He actually took several moments to respond and it made Katsuki start to worry. They had just confessed to each other, right? That meant dating, or at least he hoped it did. He wanted dating. Holding hands. Kissing. Definitely kissing.

"Well," Izuku finally said, "I'm yours."

"Yes," Katsuki agreed, a pleasant warmth filling him when he heard Izuku say that.

Izuku couldn't help but smile at the younger boy's eagerness. "And I would sure hope this means you're mine," he continued with a pointed look at the other.

Katsuki nodded, the tips of his ears flushing slightly. "Yes," he repeated, hoping to hell his voice didn't sound as breathy to Izuku as he thought it did. Ugh, emotions.

"But I don't think we should date. Yet."

Katsuki's brain came to a jarring halt, his internal euphoria fizzling out into confusion. "Wait, what?" he said, giving Izuku an incredulous look. The other boy hardly looked concerned. "What the hell, Deku?"

The older boy's eyes went wide and he hurriedly stuttered, "N-no no, wait! Let me explain." Then he reached out and took one of Katsuki's hands clenched into his pants, his own coaxing it out of its clenched fist so Izuku could gently hold it between his own. Katsuki looked down at their hands almost dazedly, not sure whether he was more surprised that they were holding hands in the first place – especially after Izuku said they shouldn't date – or by the scars he'd never noticed on the other boy's hands. How had he missed them? They were huge.

"Kacchan," Izuku began, drawing Katsuki's attention back up, "you're only sixteen. In a couple of months I'll be eighteen."

"So!?" Bakugou interjected. "That's only two years!"

"Kacchan," Izuku repeated, giving the other a look. "Just let me finish." Katsuki scowled but he didn't say anything further. Then Izuku continued. "In a year I'll be graduating; I'll be an adult, working as a pro hero. My days are going to be busy with patrols and villains, and whatever else my agency has me doing. I won't have time to deal with a schoolkid."

Bakugou tensed and started to pull away, his anger already starting to build, but before he could even withdraw his hand Izuku was tightening his grip, his expression harried. "Wait, no, that's not what I meant!" he rushed to say, realizing how his words had sounded. "It's – how do I say this right? We're going to have different priorities in a year, and while you're concentrating on school I'm going to be busy with…life, I guess," Izuku explained.

"I mean, I'm not saying we shouldn't see each other over the next year," he continued. A thoughtful expression came over him. "Perhaps I shouldn't have said we shouldn't date. I meant, like, not officially. Because we won't be able to see each other as often once I graduate and I think that if we were in a serious relationship the distance would have a negative effect and I don't want to risk losing you, Kacchan."

Katsuki was only a little lost after Izuku's explanation. "So…what?" he asked for clarification.

Izuku shrugged. "So we spend what time we have left together while we still can, and know that once I graduate we'll be waiting for each other until you graduate and become a pro hero as well."

"Unofficially dating," Katsuki summed up, finally understanding.

Izuku nodded. "Unofficially dating," he affirmed.

"And I won't get to see you at all after you graduate?" Katsuki asked, trying to keep the displeasure out of his voice but he had to ask. He wasn't sure he could manage a whole two years without seeing Deku. They'd never been separated for so long before.

"No, no," Izuku chuckled, smiling in amusement at the younger boy. It was obvious how much Katsuki liked the idea of that, and if Izuku was honest he didn't find it all that appealing either. "I'll stop by as often as I can, Kacchan. I'm not just going to vanish for two years. But I don't want either of us to stress about having to meet up so often, and I think dating would do that."

"If you say so," Katsuki grumbled, scowling. Part of him thought Deku was overthinking things, but he trusted Izuku to have thought this through. Hell, Izuku probably knew him better than he knew himself and if the elder boy thought it would cause unnecessary stress on them then he would believe it. He didn't want to lose Deku either. "Fine. We'll go with your plan."

Izuku gives the other a knowing look. He'd never thought Katsuki wouldn't agree. "You know, Kacchan," he began, a teasing note in his voice, "you could always take the time we're separated to mature a little, maybe work on that temper of yours. It wouldn't be good for the boyfriend of a top hero to go around causing explosions over the tiniest things."

"The fuck?!" Katsuki snapped, giving the other a glare though Izuku could see the fondness behind it. "I can be mature, shitty Deku!"

"Yeah?" Izuku asked, smothering his chuckles behind a hand.

Katsuki scowled hopped off the bench to stand over Izuku, pointing his free hand at the other boy. The other remained tight in Izuku's own. "You bet your ass I can. Just you wait, Deku. In two years you won't even recognize me 'cuz I'll be so damn mature," he proclaimed with a grin.

"I should hope not," Izuku muttered. "I don't want to date a Kacchan I don't know."

"Shut up. I'll be fucking awesome."

"I already know that."

"Shut up, Deku."

Izuku grinned when he noticed the tips of Katsuki's ears turning red again. "You said that already," he teased, unable to resist. They were back to normal again. Or actually, they were better than normal. They were dating! Unofficially.

"Fuck off," Katsuki grumbled instead. "I hate you."

Izuku laughed. "No, you don't."

Like the flip of a switch Katsuki's expression went from sulking to devious as he regarded Izuku. "Yeah, you're right. How could I hate my future husband?"

Izuku's eyes went wide as he flushed. Of course he'd heard Kacchan say it before, but now that they had told each other how they felt – not to mention how Kacchan was looking at him right then – it was completely different now. "K-Kacchan!" he chided, though the other only grinned.

Teasing Izuku was so easy, Katsuki thought. His smirked widened. "So, now that we're 'dating,' does that mean I can get a kiss?" He started leaning into Izuku's space, forcing the other to lean the other way to maintain the distance between them. At least, until his back hit the seat of the bench and he had nowhere else to go. The arm he held up only barely held back Katsuki, and that was because the other had stopped moving to watch Izuku. His face was almost entirely red.

"We-We're not dating y-yet, Kacchan," Izuku quickly stuttered.

"Officially," Katsuki reminded him. "Can I get an unofficial kiss then?"

Izuku paused for a moment and Katsuki held his breath in anticipation as the other slowly leaned up. His gaze flitted between Izuku's eyes and his lips as he approached. Then Izuku moved, quick as lightning without actually activating his quirk, and pecked Katsuki on the cheek. In the moment Katsuki sat unmoving, stunned from the other's action, Izuku sneaked his way out from under the younger boy and stood grinning beside him on the bench.

"C'mon, Kacchan, we should get going before our moms start to wonder where we are," he said, smiling like the devious imp he was. Katsuki shot the other an incredulous look.

"You -!" he began.

"Me what?" Izuku asked, doing his curious-dog impression again.

Bakugou smirked as he stood, approaching the other while he slowly backed away to the entrance of the park. "I'm gonna get a kiss from you, one way or another," he promised, a devious glint in his eye.

"Hmm, I don't know, Kacchan," Izuku said, pretending to think. "My first kiss should belong to my boyfriend, don't you agree?"

"Fucking Deku!" he snarled, though there was no heat behind it, as he lunged for the other.

Izuku easily kept out of reach of the younger boy – with only a little help from his quirk. Unfortunately for Katsuki, he never did get that kiss that evening.

* * *

This chapter isn't as long, sorry. I had originally wanted this entire story completed by Sunday, so I wouldn't get caught up with this and school but that plan obviously failed. Hopefully the next chapter will be finished quickly and I can have this done before I get too sucked into my schoolwork (19hrs of classes RIP) and it ends up being a couple months instead of days.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter jumps around in the timeline a bit. I tried to keep the breaks for major time jumps to be helpful. But it's kinda the epilogue so yeah.

Also, I've taken some liberties with the sports festival. Each grade will go on a separate day.

Also also, that stuff with the League of Villains – Izuku and All Might dealt with it during the Internship arc so they're gone. Yay!

* * *

They didn't see each other again for the rest of the weekend, though they did text plenty. There was plenty of flirting – primarily from Bakugou – but there was also a shadow on their relationship from their argument that Izuku hoped faded soon. As of yet they hadn't really talked about him gaining and hiding his quirk and he was hesitant to bring up the topic again while their relationship was so new. At some point, though, he really wanted to sit down with the other and talk about it.

But before that, he wanted to figure out just what he and Kacchan were going to do. He had said they weren't dating – officially – but he didn't want things to go back to the way they were before either. He wanted couple-y things, without being too couple-y. That wasn't too much to ask for, was it? They did do the whole kiss on the cheek thing, so asking to spend more time together shouldn't be any worse than that.

"'Zuku, dude, why don't you just sit with him at lunch or something?" Mirio interrupted, having been watching his friend slowly start to panic next to him.

Izuku turned to his friend with wide eyes. "You think so?"

"I mean, you used to walk home together all the time. This isn't much different from that. Heck, you could probably start doing that again since you're both here," he suggested.

"Yeah," Izuku agreed. "Yeah! You're right. That wouldn't be too out of the normal, and it's not like it would be all that different from before. I can totally do that!"

"Might wanna leave now," Mirio glanced at his watch, "if you wanna get lunch with him."

"Right! Bye guys!" And then Izuku was dashing out of the 3-A classroom.

"Hey Mirio, where's Izuku going?" Hadou asked, approaching the other boy as she watched their top student run out.

"Lunch date with his not-boyfriend," he answered, standing to leave. "Guess it's just us two."

"Hmm, okay."

.

Bakugou's sitting at his desk and staring at his phone, debating on whether or not he wants to text Deku to sit with him at lunch. Normally he wouldn't have hesitated, but he's unsure about how the older boy would feel eating around younger students easily impressed by new and upcoming heroes. And that's the only reason. He's certainly not nervous about talking to someone he's known since diapers. No way.

His musing is interrupted by a sudden outbreak of whispers from the rest of his classmates and he turns to the nearest with an annoyed scowl already ready when he catches sight of just what exactly they're whispering about.

Deku is standing at the door, looking plenty nervous as he scans the classroom. His expression visibly brightens when he catches sight of Katsuki and the older boy quickly makes his way over. "Kacchan, hi!" he greets when he's close enough, admirably ignoring the rise in muttering when he does so.

"Deku," he replies, only a little surprised to see the other. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah," Deku says as he begins fidgeting nervously. It's not blatantly obvious, but Katsuki knows him so well he can tell. "I was just going to ask if you wanted to eat lunch together."

"Lunch?" he deadpans, as if he hadn't just been contemplating the very thing before Deku arrived. But the older boy doesn't need to know that.

He immediately flushes, though out of embarrassment or nervousness is debatable. "Yeah, I mean, I figured it would be nice? Since we're both here at school – for now. B-but I mean if you don't want to I can just go join Mirio and Nejire like usual so it's fine," he rambles, misinterpreting Katsuki's earlier reply as disinterest.

Hearing the name of the other boy immediately snaps him out of whatever surprise-induced stupor he'd been in. "What?" he snaps, standing. "No, you're eating with me. That sunny bastard can keep his paws off! C'mon, Deku." He grabbed the other boy by the sleeve, ignoring his classmates as he dragged the other out of the room to the cafeteria. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Izuku waving to his classmates that were very obviously watching them and he snorted. Trust Deku to be friendly to the people who were going to gossip about him as soon as they were out of sight.

.

They managed to find a quiet table away from both Izuku's and Katsuki's classmates. That didn't stop Bakugou from glaring at Mirio after Izuku waved to his friends, though the other clearly only found it amusing.

That was fine. Katsuki would just make sure Izuku only ever ate lunch with him from then on.

. . .

Of course, as soon as Katsuki returned to the classroom he was mobbed by his fellow students.

"What the hell was that?!" Kirishima asked. "Since when are you friends with Deku? I thought you guys were fighting."

"We were fighting. Now we're not. Mind your own fucking business, hair-for-brains," Katsuki snapped, pulling out his things.

"How?" Kaminari bemoaned. "How does a guy like you know Deku? I've heard he's super nice. Like, too-good-to-be-true nice. Why is he hanging around you?"

Bakugou frowned but Uraraka interjected before he could speak. "Oh my gosh, I've always wanted to meet him!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, that would be nice," Iida agreed, pushing up his glasses. "And he is under the mentorship of All Might, so he must be unbelievably skilled. Perhaps we could even get some good advice from him."

"You think if I asked him out he'd give me a chance?" Ashido asked, a dreamy expression on her face that Katsuki didn't even want to think about. Then his attention was drawn back to Kirishima.

"Bakugou. Dude," Kirishima turned back to him, his gaze pleading. "You gotta bring him to class one day."

Katsuki scowled. "No. Definitely not." Then he turned to Ashido. "And he'd say no."

Ashido pouted. "Aww, you think so?"

"I know so," he smirked.

Kaminari gave him a knowing grin, one that Kirishima matched from beside him. "Oh, so you his boyfriend, Bakugou?"

Katsuki scowled. "No," he retorted. Then a wry grin spread across his face. "Not yet."

. . .

"I'm sure you'll do fine in the sports festival," Izuku told Katsuki one morning as they walked to school. It was the first day of the festival and all of the first years would be competing later that afternoon. The third years would have theirs in two days.

"Of course I will," Katsuki scoffed. "I'm gonna fucking win. Just you watch."

"I will, Kacchan, so do your best!" Izuku smiled.

Katsuki would forever deny the fluttering in his heart at the action. "Can I get a kiss for good luck?" he asked. Any opportunity he could find he would ask Izuku for a kiss. He never got one after the very first, but it wouldn't hurt to keep asking.

Izuku paused at the entryway to the school and looked at Katsuki. The younger boy stopped and looked back. Izuku smiled again, though Katsuki could see a faint reddening on his cheeks. "I suppose one wouldn't hurt, especially for luck." Then Katsuki watched as the other leaned in and placed a chaste, lingering kiss on his cheek before pulling away. "Now you definitely have to win," Izuku told him.

"Fine," Katsuki agreed, and then cleared his throat when his voice came out a little rougher than he'd intended. Izuku smirked and he scowled in response, ignoring the heat in the tips of his ears. "Because you asked me to and I would hate to disappoint. But this doesn't mean you can slack off in your group, you hear?" He pointed a stern finger at the older boy.

"I don't compete for two days, Kacchan," Izuku reminded him. "But yeah, I'll give it my all!"

"Good," Katsuki nodded. "I'd hate to have to tell my classmates my not-boyfriend is only number two at UA."

Izuku blushed. "I'd hate to say the same, Kacchan," he replied with a grin.

Two days later their mothers forced them to take a photo with their first place medals, to commemorate their first and last years respectively at UA. Katsuki made a point to complain the entire time, but internally he was more proud of the two of them than he would admit. Finally they were able to stand together, if only for a little while.

. . .

Graduation comes far too quickly in Bakugou's mind. It seemed like just last week they were putting on their hero costumes for the first time, and now Izuku was leaving to be a pro hero. Katsuki had been nothing short of proud for his not-boyfriend when Izuku came to tell him – before anyone else – that All Might's agency had officially signed him as their newest pro hero. And not as a sidekick either.

Now he's sitting in the large hall where UA holds their graduation ceremonies, waiting with his and Deku's families for him to walk across the stage last, of all places, since he's the leading student of the class. He barely pays any attention to the final speech – something about memories and peace and hope for the future – before they're eventually allowed to stand. Of course, now they actually have to find Izuku.

Fortunately he finds them first, and after Inko gets her photos of Izuku with his classmates and herself and even All Might they're finally heading home until they have to head out to his party later that evening. It's only a couple of hours but Katsuki will take any time with Deku he can get. Izuku's mother doesn't even question him when he follows the other boy back to his room when they get home.

Katsuki stood nervously by the entryway of Deku's room while the other moved around, gathering the clothes he would be changing into for later. "So," he begins after a while. "You're finally doing it."

Though his back is to Katsuki, he can clearly see the soft smile forming on the older boy's face. "Yeah, I am."

Katsuki scowls and immediately moves forward to smack the other's arm. Izuku jolts and turns to give him a surprised look. "What's with that face, huh?" he berates. "You should be more excited. You're a real hero now!"

"Uh, y-yeah!" he stutters out. Katsuki snorts.

"Whatever, Deku." Then he turns back to the older boy with an intense gaze. "Just remember, you said you'd wait for me until I graduated, so don't go getting distracted by any lame-ass heroes you meet, got it!"

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise at the other's straightforwardness, but soon he was smiling as he gazed at the younger boy with a fond look. "Of course, Kacchan. Wouldn't dream of it."

. . .

Izuku heard talk several months later about potential interns. It's not really something he's involved in, as new as he is, but a specific name caught his attention and he paused to listen in.

"Bakugou Katsuki…didn't that kid win UA's sports festival two years in a row?" another newer hero asked his friend. "Only Deku has that kind of record."

"He might even top it with three for three," his friend chuckled. "The kid's a genius, if not a little hot-tempered. But I've heard he's a lot better than he was last year. Best Jeanist said he was such a handful to deal with; he probably won't take him on again even if Bakugou wanted to apply there."

"Heh, yeah," the first hero agreed. "You think he'd come here?"

Deku couldn't see the other but he was sure he just shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't think we've got any heroes he's interested in now that All Might's officially retired."

"That's true. And I heard Mirko's office was gonna make an offer."

"Yeah," he could just hear the grimace in the hero's voice, "can't compete with that."

Izuku smiled and walked off. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd last seen Katsuki, but the younger teen was definitely starting to mellow out – to a degree. He was still as rash as ever but at least now there was some more thought behind his actions instead of outright violence.

Perhaps he would visit again soon.

. . .

Izuku starts to understand Katsuki's complaints about the graduation ceremony when he has to endure it for himself a year and a half later. He nearly groaned in relief when they were able to stand again. Luckily they didn't have to look hard for Katsuki, now that he stood almost a head above Izuku – which he was still disappointed about, but also not surprised.

Katsuki reluctantly introduced them to his friends in the class – and the pink girl whose name Izuku forgot almost fainted when she shook his hand? He wasn't sure what that was about – until he eventually managed to scare them away, though it was much harder to do after they'd known him for three years. Izuku could understand, and he smiled in amusement as he watched the newest generation of heroes interact. Soon enough, though, Katsuki was storming away and dragging Izuku along with him.

They wandered around the back of UA's campus, hanging around a little longer than they had for his own graduation. Katsuki had begged off having a party and his parents had grudgingly agreed if he promised to join them for a nice dinner instead. But for now they had time, and Izuku was happy to spend it with Katsuki.

As soon as they were out of sight of the other people Katsuki was reaching for his hand, a common event between them now after Katsuki had worked up the courage to ask almost a year before. Yet despite the familiarity between them Izuku was almost nervous being alone with Katsuki. He had graduated, and as they had promised each other so long ago, there was nothing holding them back now. They just had to take the step, but Izuku wasn't sure how to bring it up.

"Where are we going?" he asked, just to fill the silence. Katsuki shrugged.

"Don't know. Don't care. As long as they're not here."

Izuku let out a quiet huff of laughter. "You mean you haven't gotten used to them yet? You know you might end up working with them one day."

"Nah," Katsuki replied. "Those losers aren't going anywhere near me."

"Yeah?" Izuku asked, glancing to the side at Katsuki. "You still haven't told me which agency you signed with," he mentioned, poking at the other boy.

"Nope," the younger said, popping the 'p' as he did. Izuku pouted.

"Tell me."

"No."

"Kacchan."

"No."

"Kacchan!" Izuku pouted when the other had the audacity to smirk.

"You'll just have to wait and see, Deku."

He scowled off to the side. "Maybe, maybe not. For all I know you could be transferring to Okinawa and then we'd never see each other."

"Certainly a possibility," Katsuki agreed.

Izuku shot him a look that he hoped didn't show how worried he was over the possibility. As far as he could tell nothing had changed between them for the worse. Katsuki still acted like he wanted to be with Izuku, and Izuku certainly still wanted to be with Katsuki. But these past few months had been rather rough; with Izuku working and Katsuki busy with final exams it had been several months since they'd last seen each other. And even though they talked almost daily anything could have happened that Katsuki wouldn't tell Izuku about. He'd never doubted Katsuki before, and he definitely didn't want to start now, but the way the other was avoiding the topic was nothing short of stressful.

"There you are, boys!" Mitsuki exclaimed as she rounded the corner ahead of them, startling Izuku out of his inner thoughts. "We're heading out now. Hurry up!"

"Yeah yeah, we're coming, old hag," Katsuki grumbled, pulling Izuku along with him.

.

Unfortunately for Izuku he couldn't get more than the one day off work and so it was back to the grind. He heard little from Katsuki over the next few days, the other no doubt busy transferring to whatever agency he'd signed with. Izuku still hadn't found out where he was going. He didn't even know if the other was still in Tokyo.

When he got back from an early morning patrol about a week after the graduation he found the office abuzz with activity. He looked around in tired confusion as he saw heroes that rarely deigned to come into work hanging around, and managerial staff running back and forth with papers and coffee and the like. "What's going on?" he asked one of his friendlier coworkers as he got a cup of coffee for himself.

"New recruits," the other replied. "They're coming in right after lunch."

"Ah," Izuku nodded. It had been much the same when he had first started working there. "Do you know who they are?"

He shrugged dismissively. "Nah, though I heard one of them's from UA."

Izuku's mind couldn't help but catch on that one tidbit of information. "Really?" he asked, trying not to sound too intrigued. "And you don't remember who it was?"

"Eh, not really. But hey," the other began, switching topics, "since you just got back and all you're probably starving. You wanna grab some lunch together?" A hopeful gaze turned on Izuku and he barely managed to hide his grimace at the other's words. It hadn't been the first time he'd been asked, or the first time he'd said no.

"Ah, well -"

"Sorry," a rough voice cut in, "but he's already got plans with me."

Both heroes turned in surprise to face the newcomer and immediately Izuku was brightening out of sheer happiness, his earlier exhaustion forgotten. "Kacchan!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"You know him?" Izuku's friend asked, an displeased expression on their face.

"Obviously I'm one of the new heroes with the agency," Katsuki replied, ignoring the other's question. "Jeez, Deku, haven't you been paying attention," he chided as he approached the older boy. Izuku sheepishly grinned and Katsuki scoffed, rolling his eyes, though there was an undeniable fondness behind the expression. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. But now…"

And before Izuku could really register what was happening Katsuki's hands were cradling his cheeks and his lips were on his own, finally kissing him in a way Izuku had only dreamed of up until then. His eyes fell shut of their own accord as he leaned into the other, his arms wrapping around Katsuki's waist as he rose on the tips of his feet for a better angle. When they finally pulled apart Izuku thought it was far too soon – a sentiment likely reflected in Katsuki if the quick glance down to his lips was any indication. But they didn't kiss again. Instead Katsuki spoke.

"You. Me. Lunch. So you can't say I never took you out on a date before we got married."

Izuku couldn't help the chuckle that escaped anymore than he could the flush that spread across his cheeks. "So quick, Kacchan," he teased. "It'll take more than just one. I'm not that easy, you know."

Katsuki smirked in return, his hands falling to Izuku's neck and shoulder. "I've been waiting for two years now, but fine. All the lunches from now on then," he amended.

"I can agree to that," Izuku replied with a blinding smile.

* * *

And in the corner his coworker stood, forgotten and alone.

The end, folks.


End file.
